Lake Forest Caucus Picks Past Alderman To Become Future Mayor

LAKE FOREST, IL — A former City Council member and recent winner of an award for distinguished public service was selected by a committee of the Lake Forest Caucus to be the next mayor of Lake Forest. George Pandaleon, 62, was picked ahead of at least two current and two former aldermen as the recommended candidate to succeed Mayor Rob Lansing, Pioneer Press reported.

Pandaleon has served Lake Forest in various capacities for more than two decades. Most recently, he was 2nd Ward alderman from 2011 to 2017. Pandaleon was a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals from 1993 to 1999, including two years as chair. He also spent six years on the Plan Commission, chairing it for four.

Pandaleon was credited with leading the rezoning of the city's central business district and improvements to special use permit standards in the zoning code, according to the committee that awarded him the 2018 Lawrence R. Temple Distinguished Public Service Award.

As interim chair of the board of the Gorton Community Center, Pandaleon led efforts to save the center when it faced a financial crisis in 2009, the committee said. He also laid the foundation for creating the Lake Forest Historical Preservation Commission.

Pandaleon is the president of an investment advisory firm focusing on commercial real estate, according to an online resume. The position of mayor in Lake Forest receives an annual salary of $10 and mayors may serve for a maximum of two terms and four years. The new mayor will take office in May 2019 with new leadership of city staff, as City Manager Bob Kiely plans to retire in January.

Other people interested in becoming mayor who were interviewed by the caucus included former aldermen Randy Tack and Cathy Waldeck, as well as current council members 1st Ward Ald. Prue Beidler and 2nd Ward Ald. Melanie Rummel, Pioneer Press reported.

“It is not something I sought," Pandaleon told the Lake Forester, "But it was something I feel somewhat called to do."

No candidate has attempted to run for mayor without endorsement from the caucus since 2001. Pioneer Press reported the full caucus membership is set to vote on an entire slate of candidates at its annual meeting Nov. 13.

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